Improvement in closing hand-hole plates in steam-boilers



A t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH R. TAYLOR AND HORACE A. TOWNE, OF OENTRALIA, ILLINOIS.

IMPROVEMENT IN CLOSING HAND-HOLE PLATES IN STEAM-BOIEERS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 49.170, dated August 1,1865.

same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part ofthis specification,in Which- V Figure l represents a plan or top view ofthis invention. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal vertical section of the same.Figs. 3 and/1 are modifications ofthe same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in closing hand-holes in steam-boilers by meansot' a plug secured permanently in the boiler and bored out to giveaccess to the interior ofthe same, in combination with a cap tting onthe surface of the plug with V or bell joint, and held down by a movablescrew-clamp in such a manner that by takingoif or releasing saidscrew-clamp the cap can be ienioved, and when the cap is replaced atight joint can be produced Without the use of indiarubberorothercostlypacking. It is necessary that a locomotive or other steam-boilershould be Washed out once per week, and in some cases, where the Wateris bad, still more frequently. By the old method of securing hand-holecovers a packing or rub ber ring has to be used to produceatightjoint,and when once thejoint is broken these rings are Worthless. Thisarrangement causes apecuniary loss. For instance, in an ordinary1oconiotive-boiler there are four hand-holes, and not unt'requently whenthe boiler is Washed new rings are required. Furthermore, the rubberrings are sometimes blown out and the engine necessarily' stopped untilthe joint is Ieplaced.

In order to avoid these diticulties and disadvantages We secure in theboiler-plate A, a

plug, B, of' brass or any other suitable material, by a screw-thread orany other suitable means capable ot' producing a permanent and tightjoint. The plug B is bored out with a hole large enough to admit thehand or to give access to theinterior of the boiler, and its upper orouter surface is turned oi1 smooth and pro` vided with a V-shaped orsemicircular groove, a, as sho-Wn in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

In order to close the hand-hole a cap, O, is put on it and secured inits place by a screwclamp, D. The cap U is provided with a rim, b, whichts into the groove a in the surface ofthe plug, and when it is presseddownnpon said surface a tight joint is produced without `the use ofpacking of any kind. The joint can thus be made and unmade withoutriqniring packing of any kind.

The clamp D consists ot" a bar which is` hinged to a screw,c, secured inthe platcA, and which. is provided with a notch, d, to catch under thehead of the screw e. A screw,f, passing down through thecenterof the barpresses on the cap O and holds the same down upon the surface of theplug B. ThecapO can be readily removed by untnstening the screwf andturning the clamp oft' from `over the cap, thereby saving much time landlabor aswell as expense for packing. y y

The modification represented `in Figs.3 and 4 We regard as theequivalent of our invention above described, the bar D being of L form,fitted to turn upon a screw, di, and provided with a screw,j'*, at itsouter end to press the cap O down upon the-annular plug B.

We claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The plug B,inserted in the boilerplate,in combination with the cap O and clamp D,sub# stantially in the manner and for the purpose herein shown anddescribed.

J. R. TAYLOR.

H. A. TOWNE. i Witnesses:

G. A. SANDERS, W. J. A. DELANGEY.

